The Writing Place Guide to Essay Writing

Everything you ever wanted to know about writing but were afraid to ask

By Chirag Patel

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The Writing Place Guide to Essay Writing

1. Preparation ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 How should I prepare to write my essay? How much time should I leave? ..................................................... 3 1.2 General tips....................................................................................................................................................... 3 2. The question ....................................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 What am I being asked to do? Shouldn’t I Just read everything I can and then start? .................................... 3 2.2 What does the question mean, exactly? .......................................................................................................... 4 2.3 What does critically analyse mean? ................................................................................................................. 5 2.4 What is the difference between a claim and an argument? What counts as evidence? ................................. 5 2.5 What’s the difference between objective and subjective? Why does it matter? ............................................ 6 2.6 What resources will I need? ............................................................................................................................. 6 2.7 Why is it important to define my terms, and how should I do it? .................................................................... 6 3. structure ............................................................................................................................................................. 6 3.1 How do I structure my essay? ........................................................................................................................... 6 3.2 What does a completed essay structure look like? .......................................................................................... 7 3.3 What makes a good introduction? ................................................................................................................... 9 3.4 How long should paragraphs be? ..................................................................................................................... 9 3.5 What is a topic sentence? ............................................................................................................................... 10 3.6 How do I write my conclusion? ....................................................................................................................... 10 4. Language & style ............................................................................................................................................... 11 4.1 How do I sound academic? Just using the words and phrases without understanding them is getting me in trouble… ............................................................................................................................................................... 11 4.2 What language can’t I use? ............................................................................................................................. 11 4.3 How do I make my formal and impersonal? ................................................................................................... 11 4.4 How do I avoid using or showing my opinion? ............................................................................................... 12 4.5 How do I link paragraphs together? ............................................................................................................... 12 5. Sources and referencing ................................................................................................................................... 14 5.1 Why can’t I use just anything I find on the internet? How do I know what's okay?....................................... 14 5.2 What am I meant to pick up while I’m reading? How am I meant to read? ................................................... 14 5.3 Why do I keep losing marks for referencing? ................................................................................................. 15 5.4 How do I reference? ....................................................................................................................................... 15 6. General advice .................................................................................................................................................. 16 6.1 Points to remember in writing ........................................................................................................................ 16 6.2 What should I be checking while I’m writing? ................................................................................................ 16 6.3 What to do if you have absolutely no idea what’s going on. ......................................................................... 17 7. About the Writing Place.................................................................................................................................... 17 7.1 Where and what is it? ..................................................................................................................................... 17 7.2 What should I bring with me? ........................................................................................................................ 17 7.3 Do I need to make an appointment? .............................................................................................................. 17 7.4 When should I come? ..................................................................................................................................... 17 Some useful phone numbers ................................................................................................................................ 18

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1. Preparation

This guide will walk you through the best way to approach an essay, especially if you’re having trouble working

out what you’re meant to be doing, or why you keep getting bad grades even after you’ve put in a lot of work.

It deals with the most common student problems, so scan through and look for things that have been

bothering you.

The trick to a good essay is to prepare for it properly. If you just sit down and start writing, the essay you

produce won’t get you the grades you deserve.

1.1 How should I prepare to write my essay? How much time should I leave?

Read the question, and;

Work out what it wants you to do.

Work out what you think, whether you think it for a good reason, and what you need to read.

Do all the appropriate reading.

Work out what roughly you’re going to say.

Write an essay plan.

This whole process will take you around five days or so at a minimum. Look at the topic and start thinking

about these steps, even if you don’t write anything down, as soon as you get the essay; this will make the

whole process easier. Try and be finished with the first draft of the essay at least two days before you hand it

in. Most of the work that changes a half decent essay into a well-received piece of work is done in the final

editing stages, and editing is very difficult to do that unless you’ve put it to one side and not looked at it for a

day or two; often, you just won’t see the forest for the trees.

1.2 General tips

Since all your essays are typed, there are spelling and grammar checks built into whatever program you’re

using. Use them. Spelling mistakes look extremely bad, since it makes you look like you don’t care.

Nothing beats reading the essay out to yourself for seeing if it sounds right.

Referencing wrongly will always lose you marks, and there’s nothing more irritating than losing out on a

decent grade because of it.

Most importantly – if you are having trouble, ASK FOR HELP. The lecturers and tutors are there to help

you. Waiting for comments is leaving it until it's too late.

2. The question

2.1 What am I being asked to do? Shouldn’t I Just read everything I can and then start?

DO NOT just start reading. Reading everything and not understanding most of it is much worse than reading

relatively little, but reading exactly what you’re meant to be reading. Extra stuff around the topic will often just

confuse you, and won’t be relevant to the question itself.

As a general guide, you need to be able to answer the following;

1. What are the parts of the question? How many things is it asking you to do, and what are they?

2. What concepts will you need to define to write the essay? What are the central ideas and terms being used

in the question?

3. Identify the difference between the relevant views. Remember, as an academic you are not meant to have

an opinion unless you have given evidence for that opinion, and not to take anyone else’s opinion unless it has

enough evidence behind it.

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2.2 What does the question mean, exactly?

Word(s) What they mean

Account for Explain and give reasons for. This is more than just describing in detail; you must explain how and why a thing happens, not simply what it is.

Analyse Break down into parts, then discuss the parts and show how they relate.

Assess Consider the value or importance of something. Pay attention to positive, negative and uncertain aspects, and use references to back up your claims.

Argue Make a case for or against some given point of view. This must be based on evidence.

Comment on Very vague, but it means more than 'describe' or 'summarise' and probably means 'analyse' or 'assess'.

Compare Identify the characteristics or qualities two or more things have in common (but probably pointing out their differences as well).

Contrast Point out the differences between two things (but probably point out their similarities as well).

Define Give the meaning or interpretation of something, in detail and in specific reference to a given context.

Describe Spell out the main aspects of an idea, topic, or how a series of things happened.

Discuss Investigate or examine by argument. Examine key points and possible interpretations, give reasons for and against, and draw a conclusion.

Evaluate Judge something according to how true it is. Like 'assess'.

Examine Present in depth and investigate the implications of your presentation.

Explain Show how things work or how they came to be. Very similar to 'describe' and 'analyse'.

To what extent . . .?

Explore the case for a stated claim, much in the manner of 'assess' and 'criticise', but focusing on how far the idea goes and what it misses out.

How Far Similar to 'to what extent . . .?'

Identify Pick out the key features of something, making clear the criteria you use.

Illustrate Similar to 'explain', but asking for more specific examples or statistics, or possibly the drawing of maps, graphs, sketches, etc.

Interpret Explain something, showing how the thing relates to a particular topic.

Justify Give strong reasons for accepting a particular interpretation or conclusion, usually also arguing a case.

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Outline Give the main features of a topic or event in a clear structure or framework.

Prove Demonstrate the truth of something by giving unquestionable evidence and a logical sequence leading from evidence to conclusion.

Review Survey a topic, with the emphasis on 'assess' rather than 'describe' (see above).

State Express the main points of an idea or topic.

Summarise State the main features of an argument, with the minimum of necessary detail.

2.3 What does critically analyse mean?

‘Critical’ means look at without prejudice, and ‘analyse’ means break down into parts. To critically analyse a

given topic, you must look at both sides of the question, not just investigate the one you think is correct. Many

students fail or underperform because they do not consider the other side of the question, so be careful about

this.

You must also and show that you’ve gone through all the important material, without missing any major areas

of the topic. This doesn’t mean you have to have read everything in detail, but you must show that you are at

least aware of what’s in the readings.

2.4 What is the difference between a claim and an argument? What counts as evidence?

A claim is something that could be either true or untrue, depending on the evidence. Most of the things you

are used to saying are claims. Claims are unacceptable on their own; for example, saying ‘democracy is the

best system of government’, ‘the level of poverty in South Africa is lower than it was 20 years ago’, ‘Macbeth is

a tragedy’, and ‘human societies began in the middle east’ are all claims, since they do not give argumetns or

evidence for themselves.

An argument is a claim that makes logical sense and leave no room for other interpretations. For example,

these are arguments;

If the government spends money on roads, it will not be able to spend that money on welfare.

Lady Macbeth is the real villain, since without her Macbeth would not have killed Duncan.

Although the media is commonly supposed to be biased, it is controlled very tightly by libel laws, and so

the situation is not as bad as it often seems.

Evidence is material that supports a claim and helps create an argument. Depending on what discipline you are

in, this can be a quote from the text, a statement of historical fact, quantitative evidence from tests you have

done, or any other kind of proof. What matters is that evidence is total; you cannot simply use whatever fits

your argument at the time. Instead, you must make sure that the evidence you use leads to only one

interpretation of the data. If you are not sure, you should ask a tutor or lecturer. In each subject, evidence is

the most important part of your essay, so make sure that what you are using to support your argujment

counts as evidence as far as your tutor is concerned.

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2.5 What’s the difference between objective and subjective? Why does it matter?

Objective means trying to take all the facts and perspectives into consideration. Subjective is looking at

something from one point of view. You are used to giving a subjective description, based on your reaction to

the text. This is no longer acceptable; to really investigate a question, you must distance yourself from it as

much as possible. Remember, your personal opinion is unacceptable; the only opinions that are acceptable

are ones that are the result of looking carefully at the claims, arguments and evidence that you have found in

your research.

2.6 What resources will I need?

Before you jump into the essay, you should take a few minutes to work out what resources you need and what

subjects you should cover. This is true even in exams – when you see the question, you should spend a few

minutes writing down all the important ideas, events and entities involved – that way, you won’t accidentally

miss any because you get too carried away. It is far more important to cover everything you’re meant to cover

than to cover a part of it extremely well; if a topic has three parts, and you answer one in incredible detail, no

matter how good the essay is, you will still fail for not answering the question.

2.7 Why is it important to define my terms, and how should I do it?

If you can’t explain something simply, then you probably don’t understand it. More importantly, there are lots

of ways of defining major terms, and just using the word doesn’t show that you understand what it means. You

need to give specific definitions of the major ideas and subjects in the essay. This DOES NOT mean giving

someone else’s definition, or quoting from somewhere; you must be able to write out what a word means IN

YOUR OWN WORDS.

More importantly, lots of important words mean very different thing depending on who’s saying them; for

example, what democracy, justice, or poetic mean depends largely on what the person is trying to say about

them. You need to show what interpretation of these words you’re using.

3. structure

3.1 How do I structure my essay?

Overall: Any essay must have the following four sections;

An introduction (where you say what your argument is, and how you'll be proving it),

A body (broken into at least three distinct paragraphs, each of which explains one point, giving reason and

evidence),

A summary (where you briefly state the arguments you've used)

A conclusion (in which you make a final argument based on your summaries)

Remember to consider both sides of the argument. Whatever conclusion you reach, you will need clear, direct

evidence for your point of view. Also, EVERY section of the essay must relate obviously to both the question

and the introduction. If you find yourself saying something that is not obviously directly relevant to the

question, you need to either change it or remove it.

Each paragraph: For each paragraph, you should be able to do the following;

Summarise the point in a single sentence.

say what evidence you will be using to make your point (reference/argument).

show how it leads from the last point and into the next one.

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3.2 What does a completed essay structure look like?

The next two pages give examples of essay structures. Remember, breaking it down into distinct stages makes

it a lot easier to write, and a lot easier to see what you’re missing. In brackets are the places in the text that

support the arguments. Notice that the arguments link together; it is necessary that your arguments flow from

each other naturally. Remember, since you’re typing this up, you can always move sections around so they

make more sense, so end each paragraph with a logical introduction to the next one.

Question: Homosexuality was once deemed to be criminal. Today, in most liberal democracies, homosexuality

is legal, but is still viewed as deviant. Why is this the case? What makes a behaviour deviant or criminal?

Introduction: what argument am I going to make?

Homosexuality is viewed as deviant because of the

continued influence of old social and cultural

practices that do not accord with the legal/social

framework we now inhabit.

What areas of study will I cover in the essay?

What is homosexuality, why did people believe it to

be deviant, what is it to be deviant, why do they still

believe this.

Body paragraph 1: what is the claim?

Definitions of important terms

What is the evidence?

Evidence from dictionaries, lectures

Body paragraph 2: what is the claim?

Homosexuality has been historically viewed as

deviant; deviant is that which is not normal.

What is the evidence?

Old laws, cultural and religious beliefs.

Body paragraph 3: what is the claim?

Legal and illegal have superceded ‘deviant’ and

‘normal’ in a pluralist society.

What is the evidence?

Legal is a precise term, deviant is not.

Body paragraph 4: what is the claim?

Homosexuality has not been properly integrated

into society, leading to people still seeing them as

‘other’.

What is the evidence?

It is clear that many homosexuals do not state that

they are gay because of negative repercussions

(sportsmen, musicians, etc.)

Summary: in short, what have I said so far?

Culture has not caught up to law – people still have beliefs set by their background rather than their legal

superstructure.

References: List at least four sources of information you will read or refer to in the essay.

Dictionary, course text, lecture notes, South African constitution.

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Question: Critically discuss the Nineteenth Century theory of Evolutionism in relation to the social

development of cultures.

NOTE: since the question requires you to discuss the theory in relation to the social development of cultures,

each paragraph should include some mention of how that part of Evolutionism affects.

Introduction: what overall argument am I going

to make?

What areas of study will I cover in the essay?

Body paragraph 1: what is the topic?

What is evolutionism?

What is the evidence?

Give a succinct definition of what YOU think evolution

to be (not a long quote). Also, brief definitions of

culture, etc.

Body paragraph 3: what is the topic?

What benefits of evolutionism are there?

What is the evidence?

Assumes no biological distinction between human

cultures

Started quantification of cultural elements

Simple – gives linear path

Body paragraph 4: what is the topic?

What disadvantages of evolutionism are there?

What is the evidence?

Assumes linearity of cultures

Assumes unity of events (i.e. similar causes for similar

effects)

Body paragraph 4: what is the topic?

What can we learn about social development of

cultures from the above?

What is the evidence?

Cultures do seem to develop along general paths;

cultures miss steps, or revert, which means it can’t be

linear; cultural change can be enacted without

significant harm.

Summary: in short, what have I said so far?

References: List at least four sources of information you will read or refer to in the essay.

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3.3 What makes a good introduction?

Your introduction should be a roadmap for your essay, showing what the major topic you will be covering is,

and how they relate to the question. It tells the marker how you’re reading the question – that is, what you

think they want you to do. Each section of the body is one point – that is, make a claim, give evidence for it

(either a reference, an argument or ideally both) and then a counterclaim – that is, a reason why what you’ve

said might be wrong. This last step, and the ability to show your point is correct even though you’ve

considered other options, is the key to a good essay; you need to show that even though you might be wrong,

you have good reason for thinking your analysis is correct.

A good introduction will show your readers that you know what you're talking about and that you're going to

complete the task in question. It will also make them want to carry on reading. A bad introduction will have

the opposite effect and might even put the reader off the rest of the writing, even if it does improve. If you’re

written a terrible introduction, even if the rest of your essay is superb, it will significantly affects your mark;

this goes for your conclusion too.

To make sure your introduction fits the expected pattern, use words and expressions which clearly show the

essay plan, for example:

The essay is divided into four main sections. It will first consider ... It will then go on to describe ... The third

part compares ... Finally, some conclusions will be drawn as to ...

A good introduction should:

Show that you are going to answer the question or complete the task

Show that you understand the issues and their implications

Show how you are going to do this by giving the structure of your answer and making clear the main areas

that you are going to write about.

Show evidence that you have carried out some research by making references to at least one source

Be totally relevant

Use similar wording to the question. If part of the question is "Discuss recent developments in

communication technology" then in your introduction say something like "This essay will consider recent

developments in the field of communication technology and will ... ".

The most common mistakes made by students are:

Not to include an introduction at all.

To include an introduction, but one which is unrecognizable as such

To include too much background/historical information in the introduction

To make the introduction too long

Making the introduction a mechanical restatement of the question, without showing that you have

considered it in detail.

3.4 How long should paragraphs be?

A paragraph should be between five lines and half a page long. Any shorter, and it should probably be a part of

the paragraph before or after; much longer, and you’re probably making more than one point in the

paragraph, in which case you need to separate it out.

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3.5 What is a topic sentence?

A topic sentence is a summary of the point you are making. You should be able to describe each paragraph

with one of these sentences; a list of these sentences forms the body of your conclusion. Each paragraph

should then be an investigation of one of these sentences, giving proof for the claim that you are making – see

2.4 for what counts as evidence.

For example, these are topic sentences, each of which is acceptable as a main point:

South Africa’s world role has suffered economic and political decline.

The South African constitution is under threat.

The influence of human behaviour makes planning difficult.

Given the relative advantages and disadvantages of the different operating systems, Windows 7 is better than

the macintosh OSX.

The following sentences are unacceptable, because they are too vague, and do not make a clear point (and

therefore cannot be the basis for a paragraph):

This paragraph is about South Africa’s economic and political decline.

South Africa’s constitution.

The influence of human behaviour on planning.

The different operating systems.

3.6 How do I write my conclusion?

There are two ways of writing a conclusion; summary and synthesis. Which of these you should do depends on

the course and the lecturer; as always, ask for help if you’re not sure.

Summary: This is essentially a list of topic sentences. It should basically give all of the conclusions you’ve

reached from the considerations in each paragraph; the only real difference between your introduction and a

summary is that in the summary you also include the results of looking at each of the topics. It should also be

concise; a sentence per paragraph of the essay at most.

Synthesis: The conclusion is more than a summary of what you’ve said; it’s a new idea based on the

conclusions you’ve reached so far. You’ll still have to summarise beforehand, but doing this well is probably

the most important part of your essay, since it shows that not only have you understood the material, but you

have done so well enough that you can come to your own (substantiated) ideas about it. This does not mean

you can make something up; anything you say has to be a logical consequence of what you’ve said in your

essay.

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4. Language & style

4.1 How do I sound academic? Just using the words and phrases without understanding them is getting me

in trouble…

Keep your writing clear and simple. Your marker cannot read your mind, and therefore does not know what

you mean unless you explain it in detail. Clear expression that shows you understand what you’re saying will

impress your tutor, not a string of long words from your dictionary. A wide vocabulary is important, but you

must use the right word, not the fanciest one, and shorter words are often better than longer ones.

Finally, using academic terms when you don’t need to doesn’t make you sound clever, it just makes the marker

think that you’re covering up for not understanding what you’re talking about. It’s always better to use simpler

terms that have a clear meaning than use longer words that are appropriate but which you don’t really

understand, since it becomes obvious very quickly that you don’t know what you’re talking about.

The most important thing to remember is generally to try to avoid everyday, informal language, especially

colloquial expressions and slang. The way you write is different to the way you would speak, in terms of both

the words you use and the way you use them. Spoken language is naturally full of hesitations, repetitions,

grammatical errors and unfinished ideas. In your writing, structure is much more important: sentences should

be complete and ideas arranged into paragraphs or sections, and you should be using the right kind of words

(see below).

Especially if English is not your first language, don't become too obsessed with this, to the point perhaps of

copying word for word from your sources. What’s important is that you clearly show your understanding of

the subject and your ability to understand and express information to answer a specific question, and as long

as any grammar errors you make don’t get in the way of this, then it shouldn’t be a problem.

4.2 What language can’t I use?

Don't (do not!) Use contractions (e.g. it's, he'll, it'd etc.): always use the full form (it is/has, he will, it

would/had).

Don't use colloquial language or slang (eg kid, a lot of/lots of, cool)

Always write as concisely as you can, with no irrelevant material or “waffle”.

Avoid common but vague words and phrases such as get, nice, thing. Your writing needs to be more

precise.

Avoid overuse of brackets; don’t use exclamation marks or dashes; avoid direct questions; don’t use “etc”.

Always use capital letters appropriately and never use the type of language used in SMSing! {{examples}}

4.3 How do I make my formal and impersonal?

Avoid personal language (I, my, we etc)

Never use emotional language; be objective rather than subjective

Never use vague or imprecise language

Try to make sure whatever you say cannot be misinterpreted

Avoid being too dogmatic and making sweeping generalisations.

Use some sort of “hedging” language (see below) and to qualify statements that you make

Consistently use evidence to back up what you are saying, and reference correctly.

Refer to people by their proper names, usually by their surname. This goes for characters as well; you

almost never refer to people by their first names.

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In general, the writing you read will be dense, with long, complex sentences. You should not sound like

this; remember that your main aim is clearly expressing your ideas, so don’t be too ambitious, particularly

when you’re starting to write.

4.4 How do I avoid using or showing my opinion?

In order to put some distance between what you’re writing and yourself as writer, to be cautious rather than

assertive, you should use hedging language. These words allow you to hint at your attitude to something

without using personal language.

Examples include:

Avoid overuse of first person pronouns (I, we, my, our)

Use impersonal subjects instead (It is believed that ..., it can be argued that ...)

Use verbs such as imagine, suggest, claim, suppose

Use ‘attitudinal signals’ such as apparently, arguably, ideally, strangely, unexpectedly

Verbs such as would, could, may, might which ‘soften’ what you’re saying.

Qualifying adverbs such as some, several, a minority of, a few, many to avoid making overgeneralisations.

4.5 How do I link paragraphs together?

Your paragraphs should all flow together; remember, since your marker cannot read your mind, the only way

to show them the overall structure of what you’re thinking is to make it very clear. You should use words or

short phrases to link sentences, paragraphs and sections.

Doing this well will make your writing easy to follow; doing it badly or not at all will make your style is

disjointed, probably with too many short sentences, and difficult to follow. Your mark will be affected either

way.

The best way to "get a feel" for how to use these words is by reading. Most textbooks and articles are well-

written and will include a lot of these terms. Try and use the same kinds of words and link your ideas together

in the same kind of way. Make sure that you fully understand the words you use: incorrect use could change

what you're trying to say completely. Try to use a variety of expressions, particularly in longer pieces of

writing.

These are the basic kinds of linkage for paragraphs and ideas;

Reinforcement: Desktop computers are cheaper and more reliable than laptops; furthermore, they are

more flexible.

Result/consequence: Prices fell by more than 20% last year. As a result, sales increased by 15%.

Generalising: On the whole, his speech was well received, despite some complaints from new members.

Contrast: The South East of the UK often has the coldest weather in the winter. Conversely, the North

West of Scotland frequently has the mildest temperatures.

Concession: It was a very expensive holiday, the weather was bad and the people weren’t very friendly.

Nevertheless, we would probably go back to the same place.

There follows a list of some of the words and phrases that can be used. BE CAREFUL: although grouped

together, there always exists a slight, but significant, difference between two apparently similar words.

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Listing Giving examples Generalising

first, second, third for example in general

first, furthermore, finally for instance generally

to begin, to conclude as follows: on the whole

next that is as a rule

Reinforcement in this case for the most part

also namely in most cases

furthermore in other words usually

moreover Result/consequence Highlighting

what is more so in particular

in addition therefore particularly

besides as a result/consequence especially

above all accordingly mainly

as well (as) consequently Reformulation

in the same way because of this/that in other words

not only ... but also thus rather

Similarity hence to put it more simply

equally for this/that reason Expressing an alternative

likewise so that alternatively

similarly in that case rather

correspondingly under these circumstances on the other hand

In the same way

The alternative is

Transition to new point Deduction Contrast

now, then instead

as far as x is concerned in other words conversely

with regard/reference to in that case on the contrary

as for ... otherwise in contrast

it follows that this implies that ... in comparison

turning to if so/not Concession (sth unexpected)

Summary Stating the obvious however

in conclusion obviously even though

to conclude clearly however much

in brief naturally nevertheless

to summarise of course still

overall as can be expected yet

therefore surely

after all

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5. Sources and referencing

5.1 Why can’t I use just anything I find on the internet? How do I know what's okay?

There is a great deal of useful information on the web, but most of the stuff you can find easily is, simply, crap.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it as a source; it means that, when you are using it, you should be extra

careful to make sure you’ve answered the questions above to the same level as you would expect from any

other academic piece. If you can’t answer those questions, the person talking is probably just spouting off, and

you’re in academia now, where people should at the very least be experts in their field before doing such

things.

You should always ask “is this person an expert?” Writing something in your essay because someone in the

pub told you or because “some people” or “they” think something is unacceptable, unless the specific person

you are mentioning clearly a specialist in whatever you are writing about. In general, expert writing (the kind

that is acceptable for you to use as a source) has the following traits:

They using academic language and terminology, but making clear statements.

There is no personal opinion; all arguments are based on evidence.

The writing has no contractions, abbreviations, spelling mistakes, or grammatical mistakes.

Names do not have capital letters.

It gives a real name, and ideally a description, of the person writing; anyone that uses a nickname, account

name, or gamertag, like CandyGirl2000 or mercykiller19, is clearly not an expert on academic matters.

The references are complete, and it references specific sources in detail.

The introduction is clear and reasonable.

Every point that is made is backed up properly.

It is not a forum or message board.

If you stick with sources that you find in Google scholar rather than Google (when you search, it’s one of the

options on the top left of the page) and you should be okay; everything on scholar is an acceptable source.

5.2 What am I meant to pick up while I’m reading? How am I meant to read?

Treat all readings as comprehension exercises; that is, while you’re reading, ask the following questions (unless

you re guided by a particular task, like an essay question;

What is the main point being made?

For each paragraph, what is the point? Also, does the point of the paragraph relate directly and clearly to

the overall topic?

How convincing is the argument?

Is the evidence appropriate?

Is there enough evidence?

Does it consider all appropriate evidence, or is it avoiding talking about something important?

ALWAYS question the validity of the source. Whether you find it online, or in your course reader, or in a

textbook, ask: is this person an expert? A list of ways telling this follows in the next section.

You should also ask these questions of your own work when you are in the editing stage.

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5.3 Why do I keep losing marks for referencing?

This is almost always for one of three reasons;

You’re not including enough references

Your references are from unacceptable sources, like Wikipedia or online forums

Your references are in the wrong format (see the next section for examples)

Remember, the name and year are a shortcut to your main list of references at the end, not an actual

reference. The idea is that the marker can quickly find all the details they need to get a copy of whatever

you’re referencing. In the Harvard style, most references are of the form “Name (19??)”, or “(Name, 19??)”

You can reference anything you use to research the essay, aside from Sparknotes and Wikipedia (although this

is not to say you can’t read them – just don’t reference, and NEVER, EVER copy from them, or anywhere else;

doing this anywhere – even a sentence or two - is an automatic fail).

5.4 How do I reference?

A reference within your text should look like one of the below:

Paraphrase Delpit (1995: 47) claims that teaching methodologies that are supposed to be empowering can in

fact be disempowering.

Direct quote As Delpit asks: “Will black teachers and parents continue to be silenced by the very forces that

claim to ‘give voice’ to our children?” (Delpit 1995: 47)

In the first reference, the person’s name is mentioned, and so only the year is needed. In the second, there is a

much more general reference to the paper, so all details are in brackets.

Books: Include the name of the author, the date of publication of the book, the name of the book, the city of

publication and the name of the publisher.

Delpit, Lisa. 1995. Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. New York: The New Press.

Articles in books: Include the name of the author, the date, the name of the chapter or article in the book, the

name of the book (in italics), the name of the editor/s of the book, the city of publication and the name of the

publisher.

Leibowitz, Brenda. 2000. The importance of writing and teaching writing in the academy. In Routes to Writing

in Southern Africa, Brenda Leibowitz and Yasien Mohamed, Eds. Cape Town: Silk Road Publishers.

Articles in journals: Include the name of the author, the date, the name of the journal article, the name of the

journal (in italics), the volume and issue numbers of the journal, and the page numbers of the article. Some

journals do not have an issue number, in which case you just write the volume number.

Lillard, A. 1998. Wanting to be it: children’s understanding of intentions underlying pretense. Child

Development. 69(3): 981-993.

Internet sites: Include the name of the author, the date of publication, the name of the website, the URL

address and the date on which you visited the site.

McKiernan, G. 1996. Project Aristotle(sm): automated categorization of Web resources. [Online]. Available:

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/Aristotle.htm [4 September 1996]

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5.5 How do I avoid accidental plagiarism, or being accused of plagiarism?

Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas or words without showing it’s theirs. It’s easy to make simple mistakes

and get accused of this, so take these steps to make sure it doesn’t happen to you;

Simply putting something in your own words is fine, so long as you say whose idea it was in the first place;

indeed, you should always try and put ideas into words of your own, since it shows you understand them

properly.

If you need a long quote to introduce an idea, then you probably don’t understand it well enough. Try to

only include short quotes in your work, or simply good references.

If you want to put a long quote in, try and write it in your own words. This does not mean change a word

or two around; it means think about it and come up with a completely new description.

Put all quotes in quotation marks, and try not to use wording that is too similar to the way someone else

has said something. Even for dictionary definitions, you need a quote; show that you are using someone

else’s terms by putting inverted commas around it if you are not sure.

6. General advice

6.1 Points to remember in writing

You must have an argument that you are trying to make in your essay. An argument is a claim that makes

logical sense and gives evidence for it being true, not simply something that someone has said. See 2.4 for

more detail on this.

You should be able to put across different points of view – both from the various reading materials you

are drawing upon and the different theoretical approaches you know about.

You need to have a clear introduction and a conclusion that summarises everything you’ve said.

Avoid being commonsensical; never appeal to what “people” think, or what “they” do, without a

reference. If your reference is that everybody knows it, then in most cases it’s unacceptable. You will

never lose marks for referencing too much, and always lose marks for not referencing enough.

Show that you have read for your essay and that you are trying to apply concepts.

Try to think about what your lecturer wants from you in the essay; what have they said in class about what

to talk about and what to avoid?

STICK TO THE TOPIC. Do not at any point discuss something that is not clearly related to the questions you

are being asked. Make sure the paragraph you’re writing is obviously connected to the paragraphs before

and after it, and to the topic.

6.2 What should I be checking while I’m writing?

Your main goal is to write a well backed-up response to the essay topic. This response must be thorough and

able to be clearly understood. While you are writing, you should always try to keep sentences short, each

making a single point. If you find that your sentences are very long, you’re probably waffling. A simple trick to

check this is to read your essay out loud to yourself. If you find you’re out of breath mid-way through a

sentence or if you can’t read it all in a single breath, then that sentence is too long.

At all stages, you should consider the following questions; if you have them in mind from the beginning, it will

make the final work of editing your essay much, much easier.

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Is the introduction clear?

Does it seem to be missing anything?

Is there anything there that shouldn't be there? Does it engage you with the question?

Do the topic sentences/ paragraph ideas make sense?

Is it obvious what each paragraph is specifically about?

Is there enough evidence for each point?

Is the evidence appropriate to the claim? {{See for detail on what counts as evidence}}

Are the paragraphs in a logical order?

Do they flow naturally from the introduction, and from each other?

What other evidence would/could you include to make the point stronger?

For this, you need to understand exactly what the question means. Most essay topics are in fact two or three

separate questions, and you need to answer all of the questions. Break them down into sections, work out

what each section is asking you to do, and then work out what you need to study to answer each part.

6.3 What to do if you have absolutely no idea what’s going on.

ASK FOR HELP!! Asking questions does not make you look dumb; certainly it makes you look much less

stupid than pretending you know what’s happening and then messing up your exams and essays. Ask your

tutors, ask your lecturers, ask friends in the years above, ask the writing place; the more the better. Get

people to look at your essays, and talk about the ideas in them with people to see what other perspectives

you can find. You are not meant to be in this alone, and without help it will be a lot harder for you.

Remember, there are no stupid questions; if you’re confused in a tutorial, there’s a good chance other

people are too, so put your hand up and ask a question.

7. About the Writing Place

7.1 Where and what is it?

The Writing Place is located on the first floor of the EG Malherbe library. It provides a free service for students

from any discipline in the humanities to come to for one-on-one help with essays.

7.2 What should I bring with me?

If you bring us a draft of your essay (you must have written something, even if you think it’s awful), the

question, and all your reading material, we will be able to help you.

7.3 Do I need to make an appointment?

You don’t need to make an appointment, just turn up and check the timetable on the door.

7.4 When should I come?

Try to come and see us as early as possible once you have the essay; the later you leave it, the harder

redrafting and improving it will be. Don’t wait until you are failing an essay with only a day or two left before

hand-in to seek help.

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Some useful phone numbers

Service For… Location Phone number

All 031260…

Student Fees

Fees, payments, money owing to you Shepstone level 4 2011/1299

Scholarships office

Bursaries, scholarships, grants Shepstone level 4 2239/8686

The medical clinic

Medical services; free HIV tests;

prescriptions.

Bottom of the stairs and left at

Shepstone (in car park)

3285

RMS (Risk Management

services)

Thefts, robberies, other crimes, lost items, Near main gate, ask a guard 2540

Undergraduate Office

(HDSS)

Registration, change of course, any

general problems

MTB, opposite the coffee shop 3139/3300

Postgraduate Students

Office (HDSS)

Registration, change of course, any

general problems

MTB, just past classics 1201/2133

ICT (Information &

communications

Technology)

Your email, premium access, computer Shepstone level 5 2481

International students

office

Registration, visa issues, general help Shepstone level 4 1092

Cashiers office Financial queries Shepstone level 4 2257

Student Counselling Academic and personal counselling Past main gate, towards RMS 2668

General enquiries/switchboard

Howard college 1111

Edgewood 1111

Medical school 4111

Westville 7111

Pietermaritzburg 0332605111

Written for The Writing Place (UKZN, Howard College) by Chirag Patel

Patelc1@ukzn.ac.za

Ex. 2943